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When Salimeh Maghsoudlou felt a lump in her breast during pregnancy, cancer was the last thing on her mind.
“I didn’t feel sick at all,” she said. “A lot of breast cancers are asymptomatic.”
Maghsoudlou, a federal public servant and policy analyst, was pregnant in 2019 when she discovered signs of the tumour herself — by chance.
Tests later confirmed breast cancer. She began chemotherapy while still pregnant, then continued treatment with surgery and radiotherapy after giving birth.
What should have been a joyful time welcoming her son quickly turned into a fight for survival.
Maghsoudlou says one of the most surprising parts of her experience was realizing that routine breast examinations were not part of her prenatal care in Quebec.
“In other countries where I lived, breast exams were part of gynecological follow-ups,” she said. “Here, that wasn’t the case. If my obstetrician had done a breast examination, maybe they could have found it earlier.”
Her experience comes as Quebec continues to report the highest cancer incidence rate in Canada for both men and women, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers are the most commonly diagnosed, with lung cancer alone accounting for nearly 11,000 new cases a year. Breast cancer rates among women are also the highest in the country.
Quebec has the highest cancer incidence rate in Canada for both men and women, according to Canadian Cancer Statistics. Salimeh Maghsoudlou, a cancer survivor from Brossard, Que., is among those asking for better cancer prevention programs in the province.
Doctors call for action as province lags behind
Dr. Denis Soulières, a hematologist-oncologist and spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society, says the high number of cases demands action.
“There needs to be a plan to prevent disease, to make sure that we screen it correctly when it’s possible to do so,” he said. “And to have better organized care so that those affected can be treated more effectively. ”
While Quebec does have breast cancer screening guidelines, experts point to a major gap when it comes to colorectal cancer. Quebec is currently the only province in Canada without a provincewide colorectal cancer screening program, despite the disease being among the most common — and one of the most preventable if caught early.
“If we’re not screening correctly, we’re also in a situation where mortality from cancer is going to be higher,” Soulières said.
Advocacy groups say pressure on the health-care system — from staffing shortages to limited resources — is slowing progress.
“The system is under a lot of pressure,” said David Raynaud, senior manager of advocacy at the Canadian Cancer Society. “It really depends on what resources are made available to Santé Québec in the next budget.”
In a statement Thursday, Quebec’s Health Ministry said that while the province’s overall cancer incidence rate is among the highest in the country, cancer mortality rates have been declining in recent years.
It also said colorectal cancer screening using stool tests has been available for more than a decade and was expanded in 2024 to allow people to access screening at local service points without a doctor’s referral.
The ministry added that screening programs are also in place or being expanded for breast, lung and cervical cancers.
Today, Maghsoudlou and her son are healthy, though she says the emotional impact of cancer never fully fades.
“It’s not something that you forget,” she said. “The fear of mortality still pokes up.”
